Record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic surprisingly missed the final in Shanghai with 3:6 and 4:6. The Serb struggled with physical problems for a long time against Valentin Vacherot, but in the meantime the Monegasque celebrated the greatest success of his career.
The 38-year-old showed a remarkable display of will for over an hour and 43 minutes, but was powerless against the young qualifier’s second match point. “Just standing on the other side of the court was an incredible experience. I can learn so much from him”said a completely overwhelmed Vacherot after by far his greatest career success. The 26-year-old is the lowest-ranked player to ever reach an ATP Masters final.
He is currently ranked 204th in the world rankings – exactly 199 places behind Djokovic. In the final of the $9.19 million hard court tournament, Vacherot, who will make it into the top 60 for the first time, could now strangely enough meet his cousin Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchman beat Alexander Zverev in the third round and will face Russian Daniil Medvedev in the second semi-final.
Djokovic is back at a tournament for the first time since the US Open
Djokovic, who returned to the tennis court in Shanghai for the first time since the US Open at the beginning of September, struggled with physical problems from the start of the first set. During the game, the Serb had to have his back treated twice by a physiotherapist. Vacherot, however, stayed cool in the humid heat of Shanghai and consistently exploited his opponent’s weakness.